Queen Elizabeth II through the years

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II became the longest-reigning British monarch in history on Sept. 9, 2015, when she surpassed the reign of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria. She celebrated her 90th birthday the following April.

In this photo, the queen views a painting of herself by British artist Henry Ward at Windsor Castle, on October 14, 2016. The painting was commissioned to commemorate the Queen's six decades of patronage to the British Red Cross.

Credit: Dominic Lipinski/AFP/Getty Images

70th wedding anniversary

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, seen in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, in a photo released in celebration of their platinum wedding anniversary on Nov. 20, 2017.

Birthday parade

(L-R) Anne, Princess Royal, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Charles, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge, Prince George of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh watch a fly past during the Trooping the Colour, this year marking the Queen’s 90th birthday at The Mall on June 11, 2016 in London, England. The ceremony is Queen Elizabeth II’s annual birthday parade and dates back to the time of Charles II in the 17th Century when the Colours of a regiment were used as a rallying point in battle.

Credit: Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images

Birthday lunch

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh wave to guests attending “The Patron’s Lunch” celebrations for The Queen’s 90th birthday on The Mall on June 12, 2016 in London, England.

10,000 guests have gathered on The Mall for a lunch to celebrate The Queen’s Patronage of more than 600 charities and organisations. The lunch is part of a weekend of celebrations marking Queen Elizabeth II’s 90th birthday and 63 year reign. The Duke of Edinburgh and other members of The Royal Family are also in attendance. During the lunch a carnival parade will travel down The Mall and around St James’s Park.

Credit: Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Vanity Fair cover for Queen Elizabeth II

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II turned 90 on April 21, 2016. To mark the milestone, she posed for a series of portraits at Windsor Castle by photographer Annie Leibovitz for Vanity Fair, including this cover photograph. The queen is seen here with her beloved corgis Holly (being held) and (from L-R) Willow, Vulcan and Candy. It must be said that Vulcan and Candy are actually dorgis, a breed the queen created. The issue of the magazine, which includes photos of the royal family is available Thursday, June 2, 2016.

Click through for a look at Britain’s longest serving monarch from childhood to the present day.

Credit: Annie Leibovitz/Vanity Fair

2016 Queen Elizabeth

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her 90th birthday in a giant extravaganza on May 15. She become the longest serving British monarch on September 9, 2015, surpassing the record set by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria with more than 63 years on the throne. Now at 90-years-old, Elizabeth is also the country’s oldest ever monarch.

The Queen delivers the Queen’s Speech during the State Opening of Parliament in central London, on May 18, 2016.

Credit: Justin Tallis/Pool/REUTERS

2016

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge along with Queen Elizabeth II during the final night of the Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrations at Windsor on May 15, 2016 in Windsor.

Credit: Chris Jackson/Pool/REUTERS

1927

Princess Elizabeth is taken for a ride in the grounds of Windsor Castle, with her cousin, the honorable Gerald Lascelles, right, son of Princess Royal in 1927.

May 1933

Princess Elizabeth, is introduced by her mother Elizabeth, the Duchess of York, to disabled soldiers at an exhibition of their work in London, May 16, 1933.

Credit: AP

May 1935

Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, center, waves as she stands on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London with her grandparents King George V and Queen Mary, May 6, 1935. Her sister, Princess Margaret, is just visible over the balcony edge.

Credit: AP

June 1938

Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, and her companion Shaun Plunket take the penguins for a walk at London Zoo, June 30, 1938.

Credit: AP

August 1943

Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, right, and her sister, Princess Margaret, in their Girl Guide uniforms, practice their bandaging skills, August 1943. Princess Elizabeth is wearing the badge of the swallow patrol and two white stripes, which indicates that she is patrol leader.

Credit: AP

August 1946

Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, right, enjoys a joke with her father, King George VI, in the grounds of the Royal Lodge in Windsor, England, August 20, 1946.

Credit: AP

April 1947

Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, sits in Natal National Park, South Africa on her 21st birthday, April 21, 1947. In the background are the Drakenberg Mountains.

Credit: CBS

November 1947

Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, and her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, wave to the crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace in London, after their wedding on November 20, 1947. From left to right, King George VI, Princess Margaret, Lady Mary Cambridge, the bride and bridegroom, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary.

Credit: AP

August 1949

Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, wears a silver gown with a diamond tiara and pearl necklace on August 30, 1949.

August 1951

Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, stands with her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and their children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, at Clarence House, the royal couple’s London residence, in August 1951.

Credit: AP

February 1952

Queen Elizabeth II, left, stands with her grandmother, Queen Mary, center, and her mother, Queen Elizabeth, at the entrance to London’s Westminster Hall as her father’s coffin arrives to lie in state on February 11, 1952.

Upon the death of her father, Elizabeth ascended the throne at the age of 25 on February 6, 1952.

Credit: Ron Case, Pool/AP

June 1953

Britain’s Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, kneeling, places his hands between those of his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, as he swears homage, during her coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.

The coronation was postponed more than a year for an appropriate period of mourning for King George VI.

Credit: AP

June 1953

Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the Imperial Crown, carries the symbols of authority, the orb and the sceptre, as she leaves Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953, at the end of her coronation ceremony.

Credit: AP

April 1953

Queen Elizabeth II, center, laughs with the Duke of Gloucester, left, while Princess Margaret smokes a cigarette in a long holder, behind, as they watch the Olympic horse trials at Badminton, Gloucestershire on April 23, 1953.

Credit: AP

January 1961

Queen Elizabeth II addresses a vast gathering of more than 250,000 people at the Ramlila Grounds, a huge public meeting place, outside the walls of Old Delhi, India on January 28, 1961.

Credit: Alexander Chadwick/AP

April 1966

Queen Elizabeth II is seen during the State Opening of Parliament in London in April 1966.

Credit: CBS

June 1977

Queen Elizabeth II receives congratulations from well-wishers during a brief walkabout in London on June 7, 1977.

Credit: AP Photo/Pool

June 1982

U.S. President Ronald Reagan, left, on Centennial, and Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II, on Burmese, go horseback riding on the grounds of Windsor Castle, England on June 8, 1982.

Credit: AP Photo/Bob Daugherty

August 1997

Queen Elizabeth II -- the Queen Mother -- with her daughters, The Queen (in blue) and Princess Margaret (left) and Prince Harry (youngest son of Diana Princess of Wales) on right with other members of the Royal family watch an honor guard in London, August 4, 1997.

Credit: Adrian Dennis/Getty Images

September 1997

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, look at the mass of floral tributes laid outside Buckingham Palace in memory of Diana, Princess of Wales, September 5, 1997.

June 2002

April 2003

Queen Elizabeth II watches as a swarm of bees encircle chairs on the lawn of Windsor Castle in Berkshire April 15, 2003.

The Queen was amused when a swarm of bees delayed proceedings during her review of the Grenedier Guards at Windsor.

Credit: Chris Young/Pool/Reuters

April 2006

Queen Elizabeth II sits in the Regency Room at Buckingham Palace in London on April 19, 2006, as she looks at some of the cards which have been sent to her for her 80th birthday, which she celebrated two days later.

Credit: AP Photo/Fiona Hanson

April 2006

Queen Elizabeth II smiles with Prince Harry during the Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, England, April 12, 2006.

Credit: Dylan Martinez/Reuters

2007

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, walk at Broadlands in Romsey, southern England in 2007.

Credit: Fiona Hanson/Pool/Reuters

March 2009

Britain’s Prince Charles kisses the hand of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, during a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show in London in this May 18, 2009 file photo.

Credit: Sang Tan/Pool/REUTERS

April 2007

Queen Elizabeth ll receives a bouquet of flowers during a walkabout outside Manchester Cathedral following the traditional Royal Maundy Service on April 5, 2007, in Manchester, England.

Credit: Pool/Anwar Hussein Collection/Getty

April 2009

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama pose with Queen Elizabeth II during an audience at Buckingham Palace in London, April 1, 2009.

Credit: AP Photo/John Stillwell

October 2009

Queen Elizabeth leaves after attending a service of commemoration to mark the end of combat operations in Iraq at St Paul’s Cathedral, London in this October 9, 2009.

Credit: Luke MacGregor/Reuters

November 2009

Queen Elizabeth II walks with her husband Prince Philip through the Royal Gallery after delivering her speech during the State Opening of Parliament at the Houses of Parliament in London, November 18, 2009.

Credit: Carl De Souza/Pool/Reuters

May 2010

Queen Elizabeth II leaves Buckingham Palace in a horse drawn carriage to attend the State Opening of Parliament in London, May 25, 2010.

Credit: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

April 2011

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, attend the Royal Wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton (now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge) in London, April 29, 2011.

Credit: Getty Images

October 2011

Queen Elizabeth II accepts flowers from people crowding the banks for the Brisbane River after a river cruise in Brisbane, Australia, Octoer 24, 2011. The queen was on her first visit to Australia since 2006.

Credit: Jodie Richter/AP

June 2011

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Edward watch the winners enclosure after the Queen’s horse lost in the Epsom Derby at Epsom Racecourse in southern England, June 4, 2011.

Credit: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters

February 2012

Queen Elizabeth in London, February 29, 2012.

Credit: Eddie Mulholland/Pool/F/Reuters

June 2012

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) laughs as Queen Elizabeth gestures during a visit to Vernon Park in Nottingham, England, June 13, 2012.

Credit: Phil Noble/Reuters

May 2013

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth leaves after the State Opening of Parliament at the Palace of Westminster in London, May 8, 2013.

Credit: Dan Kitwood/Pool/Reuters

June 2013

Members of the British royal family (L-R) Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Prince Harry, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, watch the fly-past on the balcony at Buckingham Palace following the Queen’s Birthday parade, ‘Trooping the Colour,’ in central London on June 15, 2013.

Credit: Carl Court/Getty Images

December 2014

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II is pictured after recording her Christmas Day broadcast in the State Dining Room at Buckingham Palace in central London on December 10, 2014. She spent Christmas Day at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, England.

Credit: John Stillwell/AFP/Getty Images

March 2015

Queen Elizabeth II looks at a Corgi dog as television presenter Paul O’Grady (2nd R) smiles during the Queen’s visit to Battersea Dogs & Cats Home in London, March 17, 2015.

Credit: Ben Stansall/pool/Reuters

June 2015

Senior members of Britain’s royal family stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in the annual Trooping of the Colour ceremony to celebrate the Queen’s official birthday in central London, June 13, 2015.

Credit: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

July 2015

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Charlotte of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge talk to Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Phillip, Duke of Cambridge and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall arrive at the Church of St Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham Estate for the christening of Princess Charlotte of Cambridge on July 5, 2015 in King’s Lynn, England.

Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

September 2015

Queen Elizabeth II sits in her private audience room in Buckingham Palace next to one of her official red boxes in which she receives documents and papers from government officials in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth in London on September 8, 2015 in a photo taken to mark the moment she becomes Britain’s longest reigning monarch.

Credit: Mary McCartney/Reuters

September 2015

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth boards her carriage as she travels on the new Scottish Borders railway line, in Scotland, September 9, 2015.

Queen Elizabeth officially opened the new Scottish Borders Railway on the day she became Britain’s longest reigning monarch.

Credit: Andrew Milligan/Pool/REUTERS

March 2016

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth leaves after attending a Maundy Thursday service at St George’s Chapel in Windsor, Britain on March 24, 2016.

Credit: Toby Melville/REUTERS

The line of succession

Four generations of the Royal family, from left, Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George and Prince William, the Duke of Cambridge. The image, released wednesday April 20, 2016, is from a photo shoot for the Royal Mail in the summer of 2015 in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace in London for a stamp sheet to mark the 90th birthday of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II.

Credit: Ranald Mackechnie/Royal Mail via AP

Queen Elizabeth II - 90th birthday

Queen Elizabeth II is greeted by Prince Charles, Prince of Wales as she arrives for the final night of her week-long 90th birthday celebrations at Windsor on May 15, 2016 in England.

Credit: Chris Jackson/Pool/REUTERS

90th birthday

Scenes from the life of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II are shown during the final night of The Queen’s 90th Birthday Celebrations at the Royal Windsor Horseshow in the grounds of Windsor Castle, west of London on May 15, 2016.

The event tells the remarkable story of the Queen’s life encompassing a reign spanning more than 60 years. The sovereign last year overtook her great-great-grandmother queen Victoria to become Britain’s longest-serving monarch

Credit: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth II - 90th birthday

Queen Elizabeth laughs as she attends the final night of her week-long 90th birthday celebrations at Windsor on May 15, 2016 in England.